Cray Wanderers v Dulwich Hamlet – Isthmian Premier – Wednesday 1st January, 2025 – Match Preview
The year 2025 gets under way for Cray Wanderers on New Year’s Day as Dulwich Hamlet travel to Flamingo Park in a match pitting 14th vs 15th in the Isthmian Premier and both on twenty nine points.
The month of December was a profitable one for Neil Smith’s Wands side who picked up thirteen points from five games and on Saturday earned a deserved three points from a last gasp victory against Hendon at Flamingo Park. The win made it three seasons in a row where Cray have won their final league game of the year.
Cray edged the match and in the second half came close to scoring through Nathan Jeche on three occasions, Frankie Raymond and Nyren Clunis before Josh Williams was on hand to follow up Darion Dowrich’s shot against the crossbar for his third goal in three games.
The match also saw a fourteenth clean sheet for Shaun Rowley who is close to achieving his total of fifteen in 2022-23 and only conceded three goals in December.
Certainly Cray have done well after a tough run of fixtures with games against three of the top four so to begin 2025 in 14th place, six points off the bottom four but also off the top 5 shows the team have a good team spirit despite having a small squad and will look to continue to pick up points especially at home where Cray are unbeaten since 15th October.
Dulwich Hamlet are often tagged amongst the promotion favourites and could yet be by the end of the season but at this stage of the season have dropped down to 15th with one win in the last nine games but have had their moments this season and have beaten Horsham, Wingate & Finchley and Carshalton Athletic at home. On Saturday, Dulwich were beaten 1-2 at Whitehawk after top scorer Luke Wanadio gave them the lead from the penalty spot, the home side fought back after the break.
When the two teams met at Dulwich on 26th August, Hamlet won a close game 2-1 with Tom Bonner levelling for Cray in between goals for George Porter and a late Aaron Jeffrey winner. This will be the first meeting at Flamingo Park with the last Hayes Lane meeting ending in a 1-1 draw on 29th October, 2023 with Gary Lockyer levelling a Wanadio penalty.
Hakan Hayrettin’s side away from home have won at Canvey Island (3-2) and drew at Chichester City (0-0), Cheshunt (1-1), Lewes (2-2) and Dartford (2-2). They were beaten at Wingate & Finchley (2-3), Chatham Town (1-3), Bowers & Pitsea (1-4), Hendon (0-3), Folkestone Invicta (1-2) and Whitehawk (1-2). At home Dulwich beat Hendon (2-1), Cray Wanderers (2-1), Horsham (5-2), Hastings United (3-0), Wingate & Finchley (2-1), Potters Bar Town (3-1) and Carshalton Athletic (1-0). Dulwich drew with Whitehawk and were beaten by Billericay Town, Hashtag United, Dover Athletic and Cray Valley PM. In the FA Cup, Hamlet were beaten after a replay by Leatherhead in the 1st Qualifying Round while in the FA Trophy after a victory at Dartford were beaten at home by Hashtag United in the 1st Round and were beaten by Binfield in the Isthmian League Cup. Luke Wanadio is one of the top scorers in the league with 17 goals.
This has the look of being a great game in front of possibly a large New Year’s Day crowd and one of the occasions Cray Wanderers have been waiting for at Flamingo Park for many years and hard to think of a better way to start 2025 with a clash of two sides with proud histories.Admission £12 adults, £6 concessions, U16s/U13s on the gate or online at www.cray-wanderers.com/tickets/. Printed programme £3, Golden Goal Tickets £1, Cray Wanderers Meat Raffle for January on sale (£1 or £4 a strip of tickets, draw on 1st February), Merchandise, Hot food/drinks, bars available.
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THE PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS/PROGRAMME NOTES OF NEIL SMITH
Cray Wanderers brought a momentous 2024 to a close on Saturday with a 1-0 win against Hendon courtesy of Josh Williams 95th minute winner. Here Neil Smith looks back to the game and ahead to this afternoon’s first game of 2025 vs Dulwich Hamlet.
Hello Neil. Wishing a very Happy New Year to you and your family and all the management team and players. Let’s look back to Saturday and our final game of 2024 and the 1-0 win vs Hendon. This was a good win for us wasn’t it and well deserved.
I thought it was a good performance and we deserved the three points. We showed how much we wanted to win even though we were down to ten men that we brought on a winger and a striker to try to get that win. Sometimes when you have ten men you just want to see the game out and take a point from it but we were determined to get the three points. Especially after the disappointment of conceding a late goal against Billericay Town and coming away from Dartford on Boxing Day with no points and I thought we deserved something from that game too. I thought the boys after such a short turnaround from Boxing Day were immense against Hendon and were determined to get the win.
After three games against teams in the top four with Hendon being on the same points as us it was important wasn’t it to get the win to keep us that bit clearer of the bottom four! We were also unlucky not to get something out of the Dartford game and were beaten by a quality strike.
We were saying it was a bigger game than against the likes of Dartford and Dover because no-one expected us to get anything so they are easier games to prepare yourselves for because no-one is giving you any chance. We have shown that we are a tough team to play against. We do want to do better than where we are in the league and had a poor start to the season but since then we have gained a bit more confidence. We only have a small squad unlike other clubs in our division. The boys have given us everything and that showed against Hendon.
Against Dartford the difference was their striker, Olly Box. He took his first goal well although we thought it was preventable. The second goal was worthy of winning any game. I still believe I have players that can do the same. It just goes to show how far we have come as a team that we are disappointed to come away from games against Billericay Town and Dartford with a draw and a loss which shows how far we have come since the start of the season.
Looking now towards this afternoon and the visit of Dulwich Hamlet. It promises to be colourful in front of what should be a big crowd and a great occasion as well as a great match.
I think so. We wanted to end 2024 with a win and we want to start 2025 with a win too. Dulwich are a club that get crowds of over three thousand, a fantastic squad of players and an abundance of players to choose from. I have fourteen committed players and we will give them a good game. Hopefully there will be a big crowd and our local support who have been immense since we walked into the new stadium come and get behind us as we are going to need them.
Finally, 2024 has come to a close and it was a momentous one for the club on and off the field especially with the move to Flamingo Park after starting the year at Hayes Lane.
I think what everyone can see is the progression of the football club. Whether it is the ground, stadium, or the club itself. Mark, you have been part of this as a supporter as well as the Cray Massive and our support is growing especially locally. The club puts out free season tickets to certain areas and we are hoping to attract supporters from clubs like Charlton Athletic or Millwall when they are not at games. The club is growing and that was the dream that Gary had years ago with Michael Paye supporting him in every way. We will get where the club wants to get to but like you say from where we came from at the start of 2024 it has been quite a transformation.
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DIRECTIONS TO FLAMINGO PARK FOR NEWCOMERS
Cray Wanderers FC – Flamingo Park Sports & Leisure – Sidcup By-Pass, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6HL
Flamingo Park lies on the A20 and is the new home of Cray Wanderers and used for the Men and Women’s First Team, U23s, Youth Team games, Academy side and the club house hosts live music and private events. For the 2024-25 season Bexley FC will also play their Kent County League Premier games at Flamingo Park.
By car
From Kent – Via M20 or A2
M20 – Follow the M20 for 16.8 miles then continue on to A20 for 3.6 miles then continue on to Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 1.9 miles. Continue onto Sidcup By-Pass/A20 for 0.3 miles then take a left into the ground entrance and another left for the car park.
A2 – Get on the M2 from A229 for 5.1 miles. After merging onto the M2 after 5.5 miles continue onto Watling Street/A2 for 8.7 miles. Use the left lane to take the M25 (S) slip road to M23 for 0.7 miles. Merge onto the M25 for 2.4 miles then at junction 3, exit towards A20/London (SE)/Swanley for 0.3 miles. At the Swanley interchange, take the 5th exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.8 miles. Merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles then continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 1.9 miles. Continue onto Sidcup By-Pass/A20 for 0.3 miles then take a left into the ground entrance and another left for the car park.
From London, North & West
Via A20 – If traveling from London take A3212, A302 and Westminster Bridge Road and at the roundabout take the 3rd exit onto St. George’s Circus/A201 and after 0.3 miles turn left onto New Kent Road/A201 for 0.5 miles. Then keep right staying on New Kent Road/A201 for 0.4 miles and then onto Old Kent Road/A2 for 2.6 miles. Take a slight right onto Amersham Road/A2/A20 then a left onto Amersham Road/A20 for 0.2 miles. Take a slight right onto Lewisham Way/A20 for 1.1 miles and then use the left 3 lanes to turn left onto Rennell Street/A20 for 1.9 miles. Use the right 2 lanes to turn slightly onto Sidcup Road/A20 for 0.3 miles then at the roundabout take the 2nd exit and stay on Sidcup Road/A20 for 3.7 miles. Then take the A222 towards Bromley/Chislehurst/Sidcup for 0.2 miles then at Frognal Corner Roundabout take the 4th exit onto the A20 slip road to C. London/Lewisham for 0.3 miles. Then merge onto the Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 0.6 miles and then onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles. Then take a left into the entrance to the ground and another left into the car park.
From Essex/East Anglia
Via A13 – If traveling from Essex/East Anglia get onto the A13 for 11.6 miles. Use the left lane to take the M25 (N)/M25 (S) slip road to M11/M1/Stansted Airport/Dartford Crossing/A282 for 0.2 miles. At Mardyke Junction take the 1st exit for 0.3 miles and then use the right lane to take the A282 slip road to M25 (S)/Dartford Crossing then keep right at the fork to continue towards A282 for 3.8 miles. Use the right 3 lanes to stay on A282 then follow signs for M20/M23/Gatwick Airport /M25/Channel Tunnel/Dover for 0.6 miles. Continue onto M25 (signs for Dover/M20/Channel Tunnel/M23 for 3.3 miles. At junction 3 exit towards A20/London (SE)/Swanley for 0.3 miles and at Swanley Interchange take the 5th exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.8 miles. Then merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles, continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Rd/A20 for 1.9 miles and then continue onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles then turn left into the entrance to the ground and then a left into the car park.
From: Sussex/South
If traveling from Sussex/South best get on Hastings Road/Pembury By-Pass/A21 in Kent from A267 and after 9.4 miles continue straight onto Sevenoaks Bypass/A21 for 3.8 miles and then keep right to continue onto M25. After 7.9 miles at junction 3 use the left 2 lanes to take the A20 exit to London/Lewisham/Channel Tunnel/Maidstone/M20 for 0.3 miles. At Swanley Interchange take the 2nd exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.5 miles. Merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles, continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Rd/A20 for 1.9 miles and then continue onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles then turn left into the entrance to the ground and then a left into the car park.
The Car Park is free for supporters and there should be space between 700-800 cars on site. Please note bays in front of the main entrance are reserved for club officials.
By Train – Nearest BR Station – New Eltham – 1 mile. Trains from London Charing Cross/London Cannon Street/London Bridge or from Dartford/Gravesend. There are four trains an hour heading to New Eltham from London Charing Cross. For returns there are also four trains back to London.
From the station walk south-east onto Foots Cray Road/A211 for 0.3 miles then turn right onto Thaxted Road for 0.2 miles. Then turn left towards Sidcup Rad/A20 and cross over the pedestrian footbridge and take a sharp and then a slight right towards Sidcup Road/A20 for 0.4 miles and then turn right and then a left into the entrance to the ground.
By Bus – The best bet is to get the 233 from Swanley, Sidcup, Eltham or New Eltham which stops on Thaxted Road but is around 0.8 miles to the ground. The 160 from Carlton Road, Sidcup stops at Montbelle Road as does the 162 which also stops at New Eltham Station and the Fiveways roundabout and is around a 22 minutes walk to the ground.
TAXIS – TAXIS – ALL DAY CARS – NEW ELTHAM – 020 8850 0032
Nearest Hotel: Premier Inn London Eltham
738 Sidcup Road, Eltham, London
SE9 3NS
Sat Nav Directions:SE9 3TJ
Directions:
From South Circular Road, take A20 Sidcup Bypass until you reach Fiveways, where Sidcup Road meets Green Lane Premier Inn Eltham is situated on the corner and the entrance to the car park is on Green Lane.
https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-eltham.html
The Car Park is free for supporters and there should be space between 700-800 cars on site. Please note bays in front of the main entrance are reserved for club officials.
Close to New Eltham Station are the Beehive pub plus the Pope Street Bar & Kitchen and the Nest offers hot drinks/alcoholic drinks and live music. There are also places to eat and a wide range of takeaway outlets as well as Fish & Chip and a Pie & Mash shop. Alternatively if you travel from Sidcup there are a wide range of pubs to choose from.
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ALL AT CRAY WANDERERS WISH ALL OUR SUPPORTERS, OFFICIALS, MANAGEMENT, PLAYERS, CHAIRMAN, CEO, DIRECTORS, LIFE PRESIDENT, COMMITTEE, VOLUNTEERS, SPONSORS, WOMEN’S TEAM & MANAGEMENT, YOUTH TEAM MANAGERS & PLAYERS, GIRLS TEAMS, OUR MEDIA TEAM, BEN & KIERAN, MK PUBLICATIONS, 100 CLUB MEMBERS, FLAMINGO PARK STAFF. A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL & FAMILY & FRIENDS. WE HOPE EVERYONE STAYS SAFE AND HAVE A HEALTHY & PROSPEROUS 2025
WE THANK ALL AT THE CLUB WHO HAVE MADE 2024 ONE ON THE MOST REMARKABLE IN CRAY WANDERERS HISTORY, OUR FIRST YEAR AT FLAMINGO PARK
